The Bums 2019 WNBA News - Notes - Picks Thru The Playoffs !

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 6, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Minnesota Lynx Atlanta Dream McCamish Pavilion

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 7, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM New York Liberty Chicago Sky Wintrust Arena

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 8, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Indiana Fever Washington Mystics The Entertainment and Sports Arena
10:00 PM Dallas Wings Seattle Storm Angel of the Winds Arena
10:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM Connecticut Sun Minnesota Lynx Target Center
10:30 PM Chicago Sky Las Vegas Aces Mandalay Bay Events Center

SCHEDULE FOR SATURDAY AUGUST 10, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
3:00 PM Atlanta Dream Indiana Fever Bankers Life Fieldhouse
10:00 PM Dallas Wings Phoenix Mercury Talking Stick Resort Arena


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WNBA AUGUST'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

08/04/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
08/03/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
08/02/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
08/01/2019 2-3-1 40.00% -6.50


Totals..............12-7-1 .......63.15% .....+21.50


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BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS............. ..UNITS...............O/U..............UNITS...........TOTALS

08/04/2019..............2 - 1..............+4.50.................3 - 0...........+15.00...........+19.50
08/03/2019..............2 - 1..............+4.50.................3 - 0...........+15.00...........+19.50
08/02/2019..............0 - 1...............-5.50.................0 - 1............-5.50..............-11.00
08/01/2019..............2 - 1...............+4.50................0 - 2............-11.00............-6.50

Totals......................6 - 3...............+8.00................6 - 3...........+13.50............+21.50

[StarDust Bum]

Monday’s 6-pack

College football recruiting budgets: (from 24/7 Sports)

1) Georgia $2,626,622

2) Texas $1,823,307

3) Clemson $1,790,976

4) Texas A&M $1,710,101

5) Florida State $1,581,347

6) Michigan $1,397,784

Quote of the Day
“The secret of basketball is that it’s not about basketball. Being the best in basketball is all about team. Lots of times, on our Pistons team, you couldn’t tell who the best player in the game was. It’s the only way to win.”
Isiah Thomas

Monday’s quiz
Joe Dimaggio had a 56-game hitting streak in 1941, the longest ever; since 1900, who had the 2nd-longest hitting streak?
(Hint: He is retired, but is not in the Hall of Fame)

Sunday’s quiz
John Farrell was manager of the Red Sox before Alex Cora.

Saturday’s quiz
Wade Phillips was the Dallas Cowboys’ coach before Jason Garrett.

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Monday’s Den: NFL knowledge on a summer day…….

13) Since 1992, Detroit Lions are 0-8 in playoff games; but from 2014-17, Lions were 36-28 in regular season, their best regular season run since a 29-19 run from 1993-95, when they went 0-3 in playoffs those years under Wayne Fontes.

But the Lions fired Jim Caldwell after going 9-7 in 2017, and went 6-10 last year, scoring 86 fewer points (5.38 ppg) than the year before, under new coach Matt Patricia. Go figure.

Just because you know Tom Brady doesn’t make you head coaching material.

12) Arizona Cardinals have a rookie QB and a rookie head coach, a coach who got fired LY by Texas Tech after going 35-40 in six seasons, 16-21 the last three years. He was 1-2 in bowls.

Kliff Kingsbury is Arizona’s third HC in three years; not sure why they canned Brice Arians, but it was a big mistake. Now they’ve gambled on Kingsbury, who threw two passes (1-2 for 17 yards) in his only NFL game as a player, for the 2005 Jets.

Kyler Murray threw 42 TD passes in his only year as Oklahoma’s QB; he turned down a baseball contract from the A’s, and now he will be in the national spotlight- his first game is at home against Matt Patricia’s Lions, who are 6-2 in last eight season openers, but lost 48-17 to the Jets in Patricia’s first season opener.

11) Not to be a pessimist, but Arizona’s backup QB’s are Brett Hundley (3-6 as a starter for the ’17 Packers), Chad Kanoff (Princeton alum who was on Arizona’s practice squad LY) and Drew Anderson, who threw 20 TD’s with 15 INT’s for I-AA Murray State last year.

Not exactly a stellar group of backups; if Murray stinks or he gets hurt, they’re staring another 3-13 season in the face.

10) Joe Flacco will be Denver’s QB this year, their 8th different #1 QB in the last 13 years.

Broncos won the Super Bowl four years ago, but haven’t been back to the playoffs; they went 11-21 the last two years, their first consecutive losing seasons since 1971-72.

9) Oakland Raiders have had one winning season the last 16 years; they went 12-4 in 2016 thanks in large part to a +16 turnover ratio, but Derek Carr got hurt at the end of the regular season, and backup Connor Cook was overmatched in 27-14 loss to Houston in the playoffs, which is Cook’s only NFL appearance.

Raiders are moving to Las Vegas next year; they’re 10-22 since that playoff loss, and Gruden has nine years left on his $10M a year deal. They open the season with divisional home games with Denver, Kansas City, then don’t play at home again until November.

8) Over last 13 years, Washington Redskins are 0-3 in playoff games; QB Alex Smith is out with a broken leg, so this year they’ll have their 11th different starting QB the last 20 years. Keep in mind that New England has had one starting QB since midway thru 2001, except for the year Brady got hurt.

Case Keenum is playing for his 4th team in four years; he went 21-18 the last three years, but now he is probably the placeholder for yet another rookie QB, Dwayne Haskins of Ohio State.

Keenum will be able to write a hell of a book someday, and after this year he’ll have made $16M the last four years, but his wife is probably sick of packing.

7) Eagles were -6 in turnovers LY after going +17 in Doug Pederson’s first two years as Philly’s coach; they still went 9-7, and upset the Bears in a playoff game, but now Nick Foles is a Jaguar and the pressure is squarely on Carson Wentz, who is 23-17 as a starter in his first three years as the Eagles’ QB, but it was Foles who orchestrated the Super Bowl run.

Under Pederson, favorites are 7-2 vs spread in Philly’s divisional road games, but 5-10 in their non-divisional games. Eagles are 4-2 as a home underdog under Pederson, after going 0-8 from 2010-15.

6) Deshaun Watson threw for 4,165 yards and 26 TD’s LY, 2nd most TD’s in Texan history (Matt Schaub threw 29 in 2009); Houston was 11-5, after starting season 0-3- they were +15 in TO’s, after going -12 the year before, when Watson got hurt.

Under Bill O’Brien, Texans are 42-38 in regular season, 1-3 in playoff games; they’re 18-11-1 as a home favorite, 12-5 outside their division, 6-6-1 vs AFC South rivals.

In O’Brien’s first four years, he had a different QB every year (Fitzpatrick, Hoyer, Osweiler, Watson), so at least now they’re settled at QB, which is no small thing.

5) New Orleans Saints went 24-8 the last two years, with dramatic playoff losses to Vikings, Rams; Drew Brees will be 41 in January- he threw 184 fewer passes LY than he did in 2016, as Sean Payton takes heat off him by running ball more.

Last year, New Orleans held six of its last eight regular season opponents to 17 or fewer points, as they became less free-wheeling while going 13-3. Last three years, Saints are 17-7 vs spread on road; since 2014, they’re 12-20-1 vs spread as a home favorite.

Last five years, over is 26-14 in regular season games in the Superdome.

4) Miami Dolphins are on their 7th head coach since 2004; they’ve played in one playoff game since 2002- their last playoff win was in 2000, when Dave Wannstedt was their coach. Now the Dolphins’ coach is Brian Flores, another guy who became a head coach because he knows Tom Brady.

Who will be the QB, much-travelled Ryan Fitzpatrick, or 2nd-year guy Josh Rosen, who went 3-10 LY with 11 TD’s, 14 INT’s for a dysfunctional Cardinal offense. Fitzpatrick will be the first NFL QB to throw a pass for eight different teams- he is 50-75-1 as an NFL starter, wth his only winning season a 10-6 mark for the ’15 Jets.

Miami plays the Jets in Weeks 9,14; their old coach Adam Gase was hired by Gang Green after the Dolphins fired him. Gase went 23-25 in three years with Miami.

3) Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl seven years ago, are 49-47 since then, 1-2 in playoff games; Joe Flacco is in Denver after 11 years as a Raven, and mobile Lamar Jackson is in charge of running the Baltimore offense. Jackson was 6-1 as a starter LY (Flacco was 4-5); he completed only 58.2% of his passes but ran the ball for 695 yards, five TD’s.

Ravens were -3 in turnovers LY after going +22 the previous two years; last three years, they’re 2-8-1 vs spread as a non-divisional road underdog.

With a young QB like Jackson, should the Ravens’ QB coach be a guy who played QB in the NFL and can be a mentor? Baltimore’s QB coach is a guy who was a D-3 receiver in college, not sure how much that helps Jackson, and Jackson’s development is essential for the Ravens- this backup Robert Griffin III has a broken thumb.

2) In four years under Dan Quinn, underdogs are 21-11 vs spread in Falcon home games; Atlanta is 3-0 as a home underdog, 11-18 as a favorite. Falcons slipped to 7-9 LY after going 21-11 the previous two years (3-2 in playoff games). Home teams covered 10 of their last 12 divisional games.

Falcons don’t play a game outdoors this season until November 17 in Charlotte; their first five road games are all in domes. Last two years, Atlanta is 4-12 vs spread on the road.

Mike Smith was 56-24 in his first five years as Falcons’ coach, but after 4-12/6-10 years, he was told to take a hike after the ’14 season. Does Quinn need a winning season to keep his job? He went 7-9 LY, after a 29-19 run succeeding Smith.

1) Minnesota will have same QB starting in consecutive years for the first time since 2014-15, but Kirk Cousins has a 34-37-2 career record with only one playoff game, a 35-18 loss to Green Bay in 2015. Cousins makes $28M a year, now he needs to play like it.

Last year’s offensive line coach passed away just before training camp, which was a tragedy with lasting effects. Now Gary Kubiak is in Minnesota and the OL coach was in Denver for 15 years. Zimmer is a defensive coach; Vikings are going to run the ball to protect their defense.

In five years under Zimmer, Minnesota is 22-10-1 as a home favorite, 10-6 as a road favorite, 20-16 as an underdog. He’s been a profitable coach to back.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack

— Twins 5, Braves 3— Miguel Sano hit a walk-off tater.

— New York 9, Baltimore 6— Orioles’ SS Villar hit for the cycle.

— Mets 6-5, Marlins 2-4— Mets won 11 of their last 12 games.

— Nationals 4, Giants 0— Erick Fedde tossed six shutout innings.

— Nationals signed veteran IF Asdrubel Cabrera; Braves signed 1B Lucas Duda.

— Colts claimed RB D’Onta Foreman off waivers after Houston dumped him.


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Armadillo: Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……..

13) Houston Astros were -$419 favorites over Seattle Sunday, making them the 4th-highest priced favorite in any baseball game since 2005:
-$485 Dodgers vs Atlanta, 2016 (W4-0)
-$435 Twins vs Washington, 2007 (L1-3)
-$434 Indians vs Detroit, 2017 (W2-0)
-$419 Astros vs Seattle, 2019 (W3-1)

12) Aaron Sanchez was 0-13, 7.71 in his last 17 starts for Toronto, so of course he goes to the Astros and throws six no-hit innings in his first start for Houston.

11) At SouthPoint Casino in Las Vegas, you can bet on the over/under of combined losses for Clemson/Alabama’s football teams this season:

1.5 losses, over -$130, under +$110

10) Trevor Story is third player ever to homer five games in a row against the Giants, the other two being Rogers Hornsby (1922) and Mike Schmidt (1979).

9) Detroit Tigers lost P Matthew Boyd’s last five starts, last three in extra innings.

8) Big Ten Network posted a picture on Twitter Monday of football practice at Indiana, where the kid holding for kicks holds the ball in place with his nose instead of his finger, and then the left-footed kicker kicks the ball.

This is a very bad idea, though it did show that the holder has a lot of faith in the kicker.

Kids, do NOT try this at home.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Cubs put C Willson Contreras (hamstring) on the IL.
— Angels put SS Andrelton Simmons, P’s Felix Pena, Griffin Canning on the IL.
— Phillies optioned 3B Mikael Franco to AAA.
— Washington put Howie Kendrick, Roenis Elias on the IL.
— Bronx put OF Aaron Hicks (flexor strain) on the IL.
— Reds claimed P Kevin Gausman off waivers from Atlanta.

6) Not sure what criteria baseball teams use to promote their minor league prospects; Braves promoted their three best guys at AA Mississippi to AAA Gwinnett this week, but one of them, Drew Waters, was mired in a 2-for-35 slump when he was promoted.

Makes you wonder if there was a problem with the coaching staff at Mississippi.

5) Tom Brady signed a 2-year contract extension that pays him $23M a year, and makes him the 6th-highest paid QB in the NFL (he had been #20).

As competitive as Brady is, it is hard to fathom that he isn’t somehow getting extra under the table to circumvent the salary cap. Brady has won six Super Bowls; you think he’d be OK with being the 20th highest-paid QB in the NFL?

4) College basketball transfer portal:
— Stetson transfer Abayomi Iyiola bolts to Arkansas.

3) Golfer JT Poston won the Wyndham PGA event this weekend; he is the first golfer since Lee Trevino in 1974 to play a 72-hole PGA event without any bogeys.

2) RIP to longtime NFL writer Don Banks, 56, who passed away in Ohio Saturday; I met him when the Giants used to have training camp here in Albany. We met at a dinner- he was a nationally known writer and I was just there because my friend is a writer, but Don was as nice as he could be to me- we talked about football throughout dinner.

He had recently been hired by the Las Vegas newspaper to cover the NFL. Very sad. RIP, sir.

1) Euroleague basketball import D.J. Cooper, a 6-0 guard, was suspended by FIBA for fraud after a drug test declared him to be pregnant; turns out he had submitted his girlfriend’s urine, and she was probably unaware that she was pregnant. Oy.

Cooper has been playing pro ball overseas since he graduated from Ohio U in 2013. Not sure what he majored in, but I’m guessing it wasn’t Biology.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Betting Recap - 7/23-8/5
Joe Williams

League Betting Notes (Tuesday, July 23 through Monday, Aug. 5)

-- Favorites went 17-2 straight up (SU)
-- Favorites went 12-7 against the spread (ATS)
-- Home teams went 13-6 SU
-- Road teams went 11-8 ATS
-- The 'over' went 9-8-2

Season Totals To Date

-- Favorites are 82-49 straight up (SU)
-- Underdogs 73-55-3 against the spread (ATS)
-- Home teams are 79-52 SU
-- Road teams are 68-60-3 ATS
-- The 'under' is 74-55-2

Team Betting Notes

-- Atlanta (5-17 SU, 9-13 ATS) is in the midst of another skid, entering the week on a seven-game losing streak. During the span they have managed to cover just twice, too. The only thing consistent about the Dream lately has been the 'under', which is 3-1 over the past four contests.

-- Chicago (12-9 SU, 13-7-1 ATS) has picked up the pace lately, ripping off five victories across the past six, while covering three in a row and five of the past six. The Sky have been a friend to total bettors at the window, too, as the over has connected in five of the past six, and seven straight games on the road.

-- After a five-game skid from June 23-July 10, Connecticut (16-6 SU, 10-12 ATS) has restored order and soared back to the top of the East with seven straight wins while going 4-3 ATS. However, they have failed to cover in each of the past three at home.

-- Dallas (6-16 SU, 11-11 ATS) remains stuck in the basement, and it's thanks mostly to their awful record on the road. They have dropped all 10 of their games away from home. Total bettors love the Wings, however, as the 'under' is a whopping 16-4-2 across 22 games this season.

-- Indiana (8-15 SU, 11-12 ATS) has won back-to-back games for just the second time this season, entering the new week looking for their first three-game winning streak since Sept. 6-11, 2016. Despite a couple of wins recently, the Fever are still struggling against the number with a 2-5 ATS mark across the past seven.

-- Las Vegas (15-8 SU, 9-14 ATS) continues to hold off Los Angeles (13-8 SU, 11-9-1 ATS) for first place in the Western Conference. The Aces are 3-1 ATS across the past four outings, and total bettors love them, too. The under is 5-0-1 across the past six, and 7-1-1 over the past nine outings. The Aces will have to do it without F A'ja Wilson, who is sidelined at least for a couple of weeks.

-- As far as the Sparks are concerned, they have won and covered three in a row, and they have not lost back-to-back games since a four-game skid from June 15-23. The under is an impressive 4-2 over the past six contests.

-- Minnesota (10-11 SU, 11-9-1 ATS) has dropped four in a row to slip under the .500 mark, and they're 1-3 ATS during the span. They'll look to turn things around against the Dream on Tuesday night, looking to avenge a 60-53 loss in the ATL back on July 12.

-- New York (8-13 SU, 9-11-1 ATS) is skidding again, dropping three in a row and six of the past seven after a four-game winning streak from June 28-July 5. They're also just 2-5 ATS across the past seven outings.They'll look to get well against Chicago on Wednesday, but they're 0-2 SU/ATS against the Sky in two previous meetings this season with the 'over' hitting in each outing.

-- For Phoenix (11-10 SU, 11-9-1 ATS), they find themselves in the uncharacteristic spot of fourth place in the Western Conference, and struggling just to qualify for the playoffs. They did pull off an impressive 103-82 win against Washington (15-7 SU, 12-10 ATS) last time out. The Mercury have also cashed in each of their past five games while the over is 3-1 in the past four.

-- Speaking of the Mystics, the they're just 3-6 ATS over the past nine contests with the over hitting in three in a row, and seven of the past nine.

-- Lastly, defending WNBA champ Seattle (12-11 SU, 11-11-1 ATS) continues to flounder, as they jockey with Phoenix in the middle of the Western Conference pack. The Storm have dropped and failed to cover in each of the past three.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA

Tuesday, August 6

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Trend Report
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Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota's last 8 games
Minnesota is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games on the road
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games on the road
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Atlanta
Minnesota is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing Atlanta
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota's last 9 games when playing on the road against Atlanta
Atlanta Dream
Atlanta is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
Atlanta is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home
Atlanta is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 6 games at home
Atlanta is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Atlanta is 5-20 SU in its last 25 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta's last 7 games when playing Minnesota
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Atlanta's last 9 games when playing at home against Minnesota


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WNBA
Dunkel

Tuesday, August 6


Minnesota @ Atlanta

Game 639-640
August 6, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Minnesota
107.678
Atlanta
106.177
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Minnesota
by 1 1/2
153
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 4
148 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Atlanta
(+4); Over




WNBA
Long Sheet

Tuesday, August 6

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MINNESOTA (10 - 11) at ATLANTA (5 - 17) - 8/6/2019, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 4-4 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 5-3 straight up against ATLANTA over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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MINNESOTA LYNX AT ATLANTA DREAM (+4, 147.5)

The Lynx aren’t making any fans out of the WNBA bettors this season, building a reputation for blowing games in the fourth quarter and burning bettors along with those losses.

Minnesota let a 20-point lead disappear in Saturday’s loss to Indiana, failing to cover as a 3-point road favorite, and have been outscored 19.5 to 17.2 in the final 10 minutes of games on the season.

The one consistent for Minny has been its defense, which ranks sixth in the WNBA in points allowed. It has recently run into a couple high-powered offense in Las Vegas and Washington and checked those attacks to just 79 points a piece – staying below the total in both matchups. The Lynx have actually been better defensively on the road, limiting foes to 75.7 points on 42.8 percent shooting in their own gyms.

Atlanta doesn’t bring the same scoring threats as the Aces and Mystics, sitting dead last in the league in points per game at 69.5. The Dream won the previous home stand versus the Lynx on July 12 – a 60-53 snorer which stayed well Under the 149-point total. These teams have gone Under in five of their previous seven encounters.

With Minnesota pushing for the postseason and looking to redeem itself after a blown opportunity, and Atlanta punchless on offense, we like another low-scoring finish Tuesday night.

PREDICTION: Under 147.5

Sunday’s picks: 1-1
Season to date: 50-34-1

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Lynx (10-11) at Dream (5-17)
Date: August 06, 2019 7:00 PM EDT

Out to avoid a season-high fifth consecutive defeat, the Minnesota Lynx face a team struggling even worse Tuesday night when they square off against the Atlanta Dream.

The Lynx (10-11) dropped below the .500 mark with an 86-75 loss at Indiana on Saturday, coming undone in the second half. Minnesota, which led by as many as 20 in the first half and 10 at halftime, was held to 27 second-half points. Tami Fenbegle scored all of her career-high 14 points in the first half and Sylvia Fowles paced four players in double figures with 17.

"The difference between the first and second half was our turnovers," Fowles told the Minneapolis Star Tribune after the Lynx finished with 21 turnovers.

Minnesota is averaging a WNBA-worst 16.8 turnovers and also sits last in the league in turnover percentage (21.2).

Napheesa Collier, the WNBA Rookie of the Month for July, scored 14 points but is looking for her first productive game offensively against the Dream. The sixth overall pick in the draft has been held to 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting while also pulling down 19 rebounds as Minnesota has split the first two meetings.

Minnesota's losing streak has come on the heels after winning six of eight to move a season-best three games over .500.

Atlanta (5-18) has the league's worst record and is looking to end a seven-game losing streak that started after its 60-53 win over Minnesota on July 12. The Dream started fast Sunday against Chicago and held a 10-point lead in the second quarter but could not sustain that pace against one of the WNBA's best offensive teams and lost 87-75 at home.

Alex Bentley and Jessica Breland each recorded career highs with 21 and 18 points, respectively, but poor shooting continued to plague Atlanta as it connected on just 34.7 percent of its shots. The Dream also played much of the game without Tiffany Hayes, who was hit in the face going for a rebound in the second quarter and was held out as a precaution.

"You take Tiffany Hayes out of the lineup and she puts pressure on the D, she puts foul pressure on the D, she collapses people she gets people more open shots than we sometimes get," Dream coach Nicki Collen told the team's official website.

Atlanta recorded the second-fewest points allowed in club history in last month's win, and the 113 combined points is a season low for a WNBA game. The Dream, who are last in the league in scoring and shooting percentage while being the only team connecting below 30 percent from 3-point range (27.7), will play five of their next six on the road after this contest.

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WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jul 12, 2019 Score ATS Results
MIN 53 Under: 113
ATL « 60 Cover: 8.5
Tools: Recaps

Jul 2, 2019 Score ATS Results
ATL 68 Over: 153
MIN « 85 Cover: 9.5
Tools: Recaps

Aug 5, 2018 Score ATS Results
ATL « 86 Cover: 26
MIN 66 Under: 152
Tools: Recaps

Jun 29, 2018 Score ATS Results
ATL 74 Cover: 1
MIN « 85 Over: 159
Tools: Recaps

May 29, 2018 Score ATS Results
MIN 74 Under: 150
ATL « 76 Cover: 8
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

TUESDAY, AUGUST 6
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

MIN at ATL 07:00 PM

ATL +4.5

U 145.5

[StarDust Bum]

Lynx end 4-game skid, down Dream
August 6, 2019
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ATLANTA (AP) Rookie Napheesa Collier had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 85-69 on Tuesday night.

Collier, the WNBA rookie of the month for July, scored 10 straight points during Minnesota's 15-0 run for a 75-64 lead. She had just four points at halftime.

Sylvia Fowles added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota (11-11), and Seimone Augustus played in her first game since offseason knee surgery.

Fowles became the fourth player in league history to reach 600 blocks. Augustus had eight points in 21 minutes to move into 10th on the WNBA career scoring list.

Renee Montgomery scored 19 points for Atlanta (5-18), which has lost eight straight. Tiffany Hayes and Alex Bentley each had 12 points.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 7, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
8:00 PM New York Liberty Chicago Sky Wintrust Arena


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WNBA AUGUST'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

08/06/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
08/04/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
08/03/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
08/02/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
08/01/2019 2-3-1 40.00% -6.50


Totals..............12-9-1 .......57.14% .....+10.50


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BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS............. ..UNITS...............O/U..............UNITS...........TOTALS


08/06/2019..............0 - 1...............-5.50.................0 - 1............-5.50.............-11.00
08/04/2019..............2 - 1..............+4.50.................3 - 0...........+15.00...........+19.50
08/03/2019..............2 - 1..............+4.50.................3 - 0...........+15.00...........+19.50
08/02/2019..............0 - 1...............-5.50.................0 - 1............-5.50..............-11.00
08/01/2019..............2 - 1...............+4.50................0 - 2............-11.00............-6.50

Totals......................6 - 5...............+2.50................6 - 4...........+8.00............+10.50

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack

NFL exhibition games this weekend:

— Chargers @ Cardinals (-2)— Pro debut for Kyler Murray.

— Colts (-2.5) @ Buffalo— No Andrew Luck for Indy.

— NJ Jets (-2) vs NJ Giants— Both teams are at home.

— Redskins (-2) @ Browns— Washington has an interesting QB competition.

— Buccaneers @ Steelers (-2.5)— Bruce Arians returns to Pittsburgh.

— Falcons @ Dolphins (-3.5)— Miami also has an interesting QB derby.

Quote of the Day
“There’s a huge, gigantic learning curve. You got to get in all the different things: contracts, free agency, the salary cap.”
Butch Davis, who jumped from Miami Hurricanes to the Browns in 2001, talking about moving up from college football to the NFL

Wednesday’s quiz
Who was the last coach of the Cleveland Browns, before they moved to Baltimore after the 1995 season and became the Ravens?

Tuesday’s quiz
Shawn Green (49) holds the Dodgers’ record for most home runs in a season, in 2001.

Monday’s quiz
Joe Dimaggio had a 56-game hitting streak in 1941, the longest ever; since 1900, Pete Rose has the 2nd-longest hitting streak (45 in 1978)


*****************


Wednesday’s List of 13: Mid-week musings…….

13) Triple-A baseball games used to use Rawlings’ standard minor league baseball, which is made in a factory in China and is less expensive. Now they use the major league baseball.

The major league baseball is handmade in Costa Rica, and it has long been considered to be a more lively baseball. The MLB baseball has a tighter construction and lower seams in general (they are handmade) than the standard minor league baseball.

In Double-A, the average hitter is hitting .241/.319/.371 this year. Guys are getting called up to AAA and routinely putting up better numbers than they did in AA. Go figure.

12) AAA pitchers are frustrated but they don’t say anything because they’re minor league pitchers and they don’t want to hurt their chances of being promoted.

There is a reason, though, why the Padres have had several of their pitching prospects skip over AAA El Paso and go from AA to the majors; El Paso being at a higher altitude, plus the juiced baseballs, add up to pitchers getting their ERA’s inflated, their confidence deflated.

11) When college basketball teams take summer trips overseas (they’re allowed one every four years) it can result in an excellent season the following winter, since teams practice more, play more and bond better as a team.

(Unless you’re USC and your point guard tears his ACL on a trip, which happened a few years ago)

West Virginia is in Spain this week, Minnesota is in Italy; next time you hear people whining about how bad college athletes have it, ask them how many free trips to Italy they’ve gotten?

10) Top five grad transfer basketball players, according to CBSSports.com:
— Kerry Blackshear, going from Virginia Tech to Florida
— Chris Clarke, going from Virginia Tech to Texas Tech
— Lamar Kimble, going from St Joe’s to Louisville
— Nate Sestina, going from Bucknell to Kentucky
— Admon Gilder, going from Texas A&M to Gonzaga

9) NCAA put in new requirements for people to become agents, and it is causing controversy. Here are the requirements:

To become an NCAA-certified agent one must:

Have a bachelor’s degree;
Have been NBPA certified for at least three consecutive years and be in good-standing.
Maintain professional liability insurance.
Submit application by appropriate deadline.
The controversy is with the college degree thing; Rich Paul is one of the most powerful agents in the NBA- he is also one of Lebron James’ oldest friends and he doesn’t have a college degree.

8) Pro Football Talk posted that there are reports from Oakland Raider land saying Antonio Brown burned the bottom of his feet by entering a cryotherapy machine without the proper footwear, and his feet were frostbitten.

Oy.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Dodgers put OF Alex Verdugo (oblique) on the IL.
— Giants DFA’d 2B Joe Panik.

6) Mariners’ SS Tim Beckham was suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

5) White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer has appeared in 38 games; he held the first batter he’s faced in each game to 0-33 with five walks.

Because he is a lefty, some might think it will be a bummer when they change the rules and he has to face 3+ batters in an appearance, but lefties are batting .175 against him this year, righties .180, so he’s been tough against everyone.

4) Bookmaking legend Jimmy Vaccaro posted on Twitter Tuesday that when he drove to work at SouthPoint, it was 104 degrees out, but around 50 people were waiting in line for a picture by the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign at the south end of the Strip.

3) When Joey Lucchesi starts on mound for San Diego, Padres are 12-6-3 in first five innings, but they’re only 9-12 overall in his starts. Lucchesi doesn’t usually get past the sixth inning; their setup guys aren’t very good.

2) Rays 7, Blue Jays 6 (10)— Tampa Bay trailed 6-0 in fourth inning.

1) A high school football team from Anaheim lost all of their equipment recently in a storage fire; the LA Chargers stepped in and donated $10,000 to help the team get back on their feet.

This is what we need more of; people helping other people out.

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Wednesday's six-pack

NFL exhibition games this weekend:

— Chargers @ Cardinals (-2)— Pro debut for Kyler Murray.

— Colts (-2.5) @ Buffalo— No Andrew Luck for Indy.

— NJ Jets (-2) vs NJ Giants— Both teams are at home.

— Redskins (-2) @ Browns— Washington has an interesting QB competition.

— Buccaneers @ Steelers (-2.5)— Bruce Arians returns to Pittsburgh.

— Falcons @ Dolphins (-3.5)— Miami also has an interesting QB derby.


**********

Armadillo: Wednesday's List of 13: Mid-week musings…….

13) Triple-A baseball games used to use Rawlings’ standard minor league baseball, which is made in a factory in China and is less expensive. Now they use the major league baseball.

The major league baseball is handmade in Costa Rica, and it has long been considered to be a more lively baseball. The MLB baseball has a tighter construction and lower seams in general (they are handmade) than the standard minor league baseball.

In Double-A, the average hitter is hitting .241/.319/.371 this year. Guys are getting called up to AAA and routinely putting up better numbers than they did in AA. Go figure.

12) AAA pitchers are frustrated but they don’t say anything because they’re minor league pitchers and they don’t want to hurt their chances of being promoted.

There is a reason, though, why the Padres have had several of their pitching prospects skip over AAA El Paso and go from AA to the majors; El Paso being at a higher altitude, plus the juiced baseballs, add up to pitchers getting their ERA’s inflated, their confidence deflated.

11) When college basketball teams take summer trips overseas (they’re allowed one every four years) it can result in an excellent season the following winter, since teams practice more, play more and bond better as a team.

(Unless you’re USC and your point guard tears his ACL on a trip, which happened a few years ago)

West Virginia is in Spain this week, Minnesota is in Italy; next time you hear people whining about how bad college athletes have it, ask them how many free trips to Italy they’ve gotten?

10) Top five grad transfer basketball players, according to CBSSports.com:
— Kerry Blackshear, going from Virginia Tech to Florida
— Chris Clarke, going from Virginia Tech to Texas Tech
— Lamar Kimble, going from St Joe’s to Louisville
— Nate Sestina, going from Bucknell to Kentucky
— Admon Gilder, going from Texas A&M to Gonzaga

9) NCAA put in new requirements for people to become agents, and it is causing controversy. Here are the requirements:

To become an NCAA-certified agent one must:

Have a bachelor’s degree;
Have been NBPA certified for at least three consecutive years and be in good-standing.
Maintain professional liability insurance.
Submit application by appropriate deadline.

The controversy is with the college degree thing; Rich Paul is one of the most powerful agents in the NBA- he is also one of Lebron James’ oldest friends and he doesn’t have a college degree.

8) Pro Football Talk posted that there are reports from Oakland Raider land saying Antonio Brown burned the bottom of his feet by entering a cryotherapy machine without the proper footwear, and his feet were frostbitten.

Oy.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Dodgers put OF Alex Verdugo (oblique) on the IL.
— Giants DFA’d 2B Joe Panik.

6) Mariners’ SS Tim Beckham was suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

5) White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer has appeared in 38 games; he held the first batter he’s faced in each game to 0-33 with five walks.

Because he is a lefty, some might think it will be a bummer when they change the rules and he has to face 3+ batters in an appearance, but lefties are batting .175 against him this year, righties .180, so he’s been tough against everyone.

4) Bookmaking legend Jimmy Vaccaro posted on Twitter Tuesday that when he drove to work at SouthPoint, it was 104 degrees out, but around 50 people were waiting in line for a picture by the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign at the south end of the Strip.

3) When Joey Lucchesi starts on mound for San Diego, Padres are 12-6-3 in first five innings, but they’re only 9-12 overall in his starts. Lucchesi doesn’t usually get past the sixth inning; their setup guys aren’t very good.

2) Rays 7, Blue Jays 6 (10)— Tampa Bay trailed 6-0 in fourth inning.

1) A high school football team from Anaheim lost all of their equipment recently in a storage fire; the LA Chargers stepped in and donated $10,000 to help the team get back on their feet.

This is what we need more of; people helping other people out.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Wednesday, August 7


New York @ Chicago

Game 641-642
August 7, 2019 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
New York
100.714
Chicago
112.272
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Chicago
by 11 1/2
165
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Chicago
No Line
N/A
Dunkel Pick:
Chicago
N/A



WNBA

Wednesday, August 7

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New York Liberty
New York is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games
New York is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games
New York is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
New York is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Chicago
New York is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 5 games when playing Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 6 games when playing on the road against Chicago
Chicago Sky
Chicago is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Chicago is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago's last 6 games
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Chicago's last 11 games at home
Chicago is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing New York
Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 5 games when playing New York
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing at home against New York


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


WNBA
Long Sheet

Wednesday, August 7

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW YORK (8 - 13) at CHICAGO (12 - 9) - 8/7/2019, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 5-4 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-4 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
7 of 9 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


NEW YORK LIBERTY AT CHICAGO SKY (-7.5, 164)

The Sky are one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference and are jumping up the standings with six wins in their last eight outings, going 6-2 ATS in that span.

The Sky will have a focus on starting strong in Wednesday’s outing after battling back from 10 points down at the half versus Atlanta in their last game. Chicago is normally one of the quickest-starting teams, ranked second in first-quarter scoring at 21.7 points per game, but managed just 17 points in the first frame Saturday.

"You can't play around with teams in the league," Sky head coach James Wade told WNBA.com after Saturday’s win. "The outcome, it was good, but we have to find solutions to the problem of how we started, and that's the challenging part. If we start the way we finish, then I think we'll be fine."

Wednesday’s opponent, the New York Liberty, average 18.1 points in the opening frame while giving up 21.3 points against in the first 10 minutes. That average ranks second last in the WNBA – ahead of just the Sky, who hemorrhage 22.9 first-quarter points per outing.

These two clubs met back on July 12 in Chicago and scored a combined 52 first-quarter points. We’re calling for another fast and fun opening 10 minutes tonight.

PREDICTION: Over first-quarter 42

Tuesday's pick: 0-1
Season to date: 50-35-1

[StarDust Bum]

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

NY at CHI 08:00 PM

CHI -8.0

U 164.0

[StarDust Bum]

Quigley, Lavender each score 20-plus, Sky beat Liberty
August 7, 2019
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CHICAGO (AP) Allie Quigley scored 22 points, Jantel Lavender had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Chicago Sky beat the New York Liberty 101-92 on Wednesday night.

Chicago only made one field goal in the final three minutes of the game, but secured it by making 16 of 18 free-throw attempts during the span. Courtney Vandersloot's free throw with 1:12 remaining gave Chicago a nine-point lead, and New York couldn't get closer than three points from there.

Diamond DeShields and Vandersloot each scored 16 points for Chicago (13-9), which has won five of six to match its win total from last season. Chicago struggled from 3-point range, missing its first 11, but made 26 of 31 at the free-throw line.

Tina Charles led New York (8-14) with 24 points, and Rebecca Allen added 21, making six 3-pointers. Marine Johannes scored 16 off the bench.

Chicago Bulls players Coby White, Daniel Gafford and Wendell Carter Jr. were in attendance.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 8, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
7:00 PM Indiana Fever Washington Mystics The Entertainment and Sports Arena
10:00 PM Dallas Wings Seattle Storm Angel of the Winds Arena
10:00 PM Phoenix Mercury Los Angeles Sparks Staples Center


*********************************


WNBA AUGUST'S OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: ALL BASED ON 5 UNITS

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD


08/07/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
08/06/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
08/04/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
08/03/2019 5-1-0 83.33% +19.50
08/02/2019 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
08/01/2019 2-3-1 40.00% -6.50


Totals...........13-10-1 .......56.52% .....+10.00


*****************************

BEST BETS:

DATE........................ATS............. ..UNITS...............O/U..............UNITS...........TOTALS


08/07/2019..............1 - 0..............+5.00.................0 - 1............-5.50.............-0.50
08/06/2019..............0 - 1...............-5.50.................0 - 1............-5.50.............-11.00
08/04/2019..............2 - 1..............+4.50.................3 - 0...........+15.00..........+19.50
08/03/2019..............2 - 1..............+4.50.................3 - 0...........+15.00..........+19.50
08/02/2019..............0 - 1...............-5.50.................0 - 1............-5.50.............-11.00
08/01/2019..............2 - 1...............+4.50................0 - 2............-11.00............-6.50

Totals......................7 - 5...............+7.50................6 - 5...........+2.50............+10.00